dotHack::Remnant: Part One
by Angelglory
Summary: Part One of Four. CHAPTER 4 IS UP! Suma played The World to escape his cruddy life. The World begins to act strange and he must stop it before things get out of hand. Rated T for violence, language, and, later, suggestive themes.
1. The Scythe and The Wingless

**Author's Note: After careful deliberation, I've decided to write a ".hack/" fic. For those who've read other stories of mine, I hope you enjoy this one as much as my others. Take it away Disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: Angelglory does not own ".hack/". **

**Quick Background: This begins just about one month after the very end of Quarantine. (After Kite gets the Bracelet back and after Mia is "reborn", so to speak…) "The World" has been upgraded again, with the Omega server, Lia Fail, being fixed and the adding of two new character classes.**

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH **

_**Chapter 1: The Scythe and The Wingless**_

He was sick of it. Sick and tired of being caught under the shadow of him. "It's happened too many times, I tell you!" It made him sick how many times he had been mistaken for him!

His name was Suma! And he was not Kite! Nor was he a poser!

He had thought about quitting "The World". But he couldn't, not until he made a name for himself, not until people knew who he was!

It started about a month and a week ago. There was an event held called "The Forgotten Evil". And he was the first to clear it. He beat it so fast that no one really had time to hear about it. As a prize, he was awarded his own special attack. He called it "Swirling Scythe" after his favorite attack, "Swirling Dark".

His other prize was a mistaken identity. That's when all of the players started mistaking him for that damn Kite! It pissed him off beyond believe. He was Suma the Scythe, not some Kite look-a-like!

And with that, he took a deep breath and sighed. Looking down at his keyboard, he grumbled and typed in his password. He'd log on; maybe he wouldn't be mistaken today.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

The three yellow rings circled around the Twin Blade as he materialized in Mac Anu. He looked around dully at the town before him. He yawned and rested his hands behind his head.

"Great, another boring day," Suma sighed.

He turned towards the Chaos Gate and went to enter some random Keywords when…

"HEY!" a voiced called out.

"_Oh great, a newbie_," Suma thought, turning around to see a Long Arm standing in front of him. "Yeah, what can I help you with?" the Twin Blade asked aloud.

"You're that Kite guy, right? I was wondering if you could trade with me. Please?" asked the Long Arm.

Suma's right eye twitched. "_Damn it! Not another one!_" he yelled in his own mind. "No! My name's Suma, not Kite! What makes you think that I'm him! HUH!" he barked at the newbie.

The Long Arm jumped back a few steps, almost falling down the stairs behind him. "W-Well, I heard Kite was a Twin Blade and wore red clothes. So I just thought…you were him. I'm sorry, I just wanted to trade," the player replied.

Suma sighed again, crossing his arms. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Just next time…don't jump to any conclusions. Just because you see a red Twin Blade, doesn't mean that it's Kite. I'm Suma the Scythe, and don't you forget it OR what I look like. Okay?"

Suma wore a long red coat. It was buttoned at the top and open on the bottom. A brown belt was around his waist with two straps of the sides, holding his blades in place. His pants were red and were tucked into his light brown boots. A light brown cloth was wrapped loosely around his neck, hiding his mouth when he looked down. His face was pretty plain, only a red "V" on the left half of his face. His eyes were a piercing amber yellow. And his hair was a black as night.

The newbie Long Arm nodded and apologized again, "Alright, I'm really sorry. I'll be more careful. G'bye." And so, the player logged out.

The Twin Blade grumbled and shook his head. "Maybe I'll check the Board for any new Keywords…" he mumbled, logging out as well.

Suma browsed the Board's topics. Nothing of immediate interest could be found as he scrolled down the list. Not Keywords, not anything. Until he reached a new topic titled, "Meetings". Inside, two players were talking about a place to meet up.

"_This looks interesting, maybe I'll get some new Keywords_," Suma thought as he read on.

The last message read, "Okay, let's meet at **_Delta: Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground_**."

Bingo! Suma had found what he wanted, a new place to go. Maybe he'd find something good to sell, or maybe even a new weapon or piece of armor.

Feeling giddy, Suma quickly logged back into "The World". As he appeared in Mac Anu again, he turned to the Chaos Gate and entered in the Keywords: **_Hidden Forbidden Holy_ _Ground_**.

He spent as much time as possible on fields or in the dungeons. That was usually his salvation from the Kite accusers.

Materializing onto the entered field, Suma saw that a large cathedral lay before him.

_Wow, never seen a place like this in "The World"._

The Twin Blade shuffled his feet towards the large church doors. This place, to him, was beautiful and majestic. But at the same time, seem to hold a dark secret inside its old decrepit walls.

As he reached the entrance, a Blademaster emerged from inside the building. He gave a small wave to the player as they Gated Out. Must've been one of the players that were meeting here.

Shrugging it off, he pushed open the door and slipped inside. Organ music hummed throughout the large room and sent a chill down his spine, in the real world. He ran his hands over the wooden benches, thinking…

_This place…is kind of eerie. And where's all the treasure? And the monsters?_

The Twin Blade grumbled aloud, "Grrrr…There's nothing here. Damn it!" he shouted.

"Is that you, Moseja? Did you forget something?" a voice asked. It came from the front row of benches.

Suma hadn't noticed her before, but a female Heavy Axeman was sitting there the entire time. The Twin Blade stood silent for a few moments before speaking up.

"Uh," Suma stammered, "M-Moseja? No…My name's Suma."

The female player was staring at a statue wrapped in chains. Finally, she turned around and glanced back at Suma. "Oh? Then have you come for solitude?" she asked.

"Uh, no, I…um…" Suma was at a loss of words.

_Holy hell…she's gorgeous._

Suma restricted himself from doing anything in the real world, although, he did get a good look at the Heavy Axeman.

The girl had light brown hair that curled around her face, yet stuck outwards in the back. Her dress was a mixture of blue and white. The dress itself was white, but had a light blue streak going down the middle. Her white gloves were long and went up past her elbows. Unlike all of the other female Heavy Axeman, she had no wings on her back. One of a kind…

The Twin Blade quietly walked towards the other player, trying and failing miserably to hide the blush on his face. When he finally reached the front bench, the Heavy Axeman smiled at him.

"My name's Eterni. Would you like to sit with me for a while?" she asked, scooting over to make room for the Twin Blade.

Suma nodded, sat down and crossed his arms. "So, uh, you like coming to this place?" he asked, glancing at the statue.

"Jeez, I was never good with women," he thought, mentally slapping himself across the face. 

"Yes," Eterni replied, "This area is one of a kind. Not many people come here. I like to think of it as my own special area."

Suma listened diligently, nodding a little. "Hmm, your own special area. That must be nice. I could use an area like that for a change. You know, to get away from it all."

Eterni look at Suma with interest. "I see now…you're that player. The one who looks like Kite."

An agitated smirk crept onto Suma's face. "Yeah, I'm Suma the Scythe. How'd you guess?" he muttered.

"Well," the Axeman began, "You look like him. But I know you are not him. In fact, I saw you earlier. You were yelling at a Long Arm for calling you Kite."

The Twin Blade looked away and scratched the back of his head. "Heh heh…So, if you think I'm a jerk then why be so nice to me?"

"I don't think you're jerk. You seem very nice. A nice sensitive boy, that's what you are," Eterni answered.

Suma's blushed brightened as he looked up towards the high ceiling. "Aw, jeez…Cut it out!"

"I wish all the boys were like you. That's the kind of guy I need," Eterni jested.

Suma's face was completely pink with embarrassment. "We just met! Stop talking like that!"

Suddenly, almost as appearing out of thin air, a blade shot out to left of Suma's head. Same with Eterni but on the right side. A demented cackle echoed from the seat behind them. The wielder of the blades leaned forward, a sick grin on his face.

"Well, well, well, isn't this grand? A couple of love birds flirting with each other," the man said.

He was a Twin Blade. His skin was as pale as a ghost and his hair was a dying gray. His eyes seemed dead to the world around him.

The player held both his blades close to his prey; close enough to cut them but not quite.

"You! You really love following me don't you, Specter Phantom?" Suma blurted out, as he eyed the other Twin Blade.

The man, apparently named Specter Phantom, cackled again, drawing Suma closing. "Of course, I've been wanting to kill you for a long time. Eh hah hah ha ha hah! And now I can! Isn't that grand?" he asked tauntingly.

"That's enough, Specter," another voice called out.

A male Heavy Axeman and a Blademaster came walking down the rows of benches. Not far behind them, a young Wavemaster followed sluggishly.

The Heavy Axeman had blonde spiked hair that hung down over his face. A large scythe/axe rested on his right shoulder. He wore a long blue and black robe similar to a Wavemaster's, but had brown belts hanging over his shoulders. The edges of the robe were torn and tattered and scarcely hid his black boots.

"But Truth, he's just having a little fun. Don't be so uptight," the Blademaster commented.

"M-Moseja?" Eterni suddenly called out to the Blademaster. "What are you doing with these people?"

"Sorry there, Eterni," Moseja spoke up, shrugging his shoulders, "I just followed my orders. Personally, I got nothing against you."

Suma looked back at Blademaster. It was the same one that Gated Out when he got here. He then looked towards Truth and the quiet Wavemaster.

Just what I needed, PKers. Specter Phantom is enough by himself…but three more?

Suma had had various encounters with PKers before, especially Specter Phantom. The crazed Twin Blade had become obsessed with trying to kill Suma, almost to a point of insanity. Suma had also run into Truth before as well. But that Wavemaster was a new face, and he didn't seem too interested about the whole situation at all. Looking closer, it was more obvious that he was hiding pain.

_That one's no PK. Looks like they're dragging him around with them, as a punching bag._

Specter cackled again and looked at Eterni. "Eh hah hah ha ha hah! Truth, can I kill the girl first?" the psychotic man asked.

"Not yet," Truth answered impatiently, walking front of Suma. "So, Suma, you thought you could really hide from us?"

Suma scoffed and cocked and eyebrow. "Who said I was hiding? You guys just suck at finding me," he retorted.

"You little maggot!" Truth yelled, as Specter Phantom released Eterni and held both of his blades close to Suma's face.

"Can I kill him now? Please?" Specter begged.

Truth flicked a strand of blonde hair away from his face. "Go ahead."

The blades drew closer to Suma's neck and were about to sink in when suddenly…

"Stop!" Eterni held her axe up, facing Truth. "Leave him alone!"

Truth just smirked as Specter almost snapped. "Nether! Get over here," he barked at the silent Wavemaster.

The Wavemaster, Nether, walked forward and stood in front of Truth, acting as a shield from Eterni's axe. The boy wore traditional Wavemaster clothes. His sleeves were dark gray rather than black like the rest of his wardrobe. His hat pushed his silver hair down over his face, leaving his eyes in the dark. His body trembled and ached with pain as he stood before Eterni.

The Heavy Axeman drew her axe back hesitantly. Eventually, she dropped her weapon in failure. She couldn't do it; the Wavemaster didn't deserve to die.

"This is taking to long. I'll kill him!" Moseja stepped up and swiftly impaled his sword through Nether's stomach. The Wavemaster fell to the floor with a sickening thud, and then vanished from the cathedral. Perhaps he was the luckiest of the group…

Suma kept silent, mostly because he was watching the statue of the entwined girl the whole time. He was watching the chains. The chains, they were unraveling from the statue one by one. Each link of iron fell quietly, unbeknownst to the PKers or Eterni.

"What the…?" Suma murmured aloud.

The other four players looked towards the statue as it began to glow, surrounded by bright green hexagons. The screen began the flicker with static. It was followed by a sound…

The sound rang out, signaling a coming threat…an approaching end.

Without warning, a rippling wave disturbed the very being of the cathedral. And from it emerged a grotesque distortion of logic. A large monster had come from the wave, covered in the green shapes identical to the statue. It had long lumbering arms and spikes sticking out all over its body. It roared and bellowed upon seeing the five players standing before it.

Specter shot a look of extreme rage at the beast. "So, even the game itself tries to stop me from killing the Scythe! You damn monster! Get the hell out of my sight!" he snarled.

The enraged Twin Blade leapt at the monstrosity, only to be slapped out of the air and driven into the wall with incredible force. The impact killed Specter Phantom instantly, despite his high level, his body vanishing like Nether's.

Moseja said nothing; he only backed up and ran for the door. But before he could get too far, the monster swung its other arm and bashed the Blademaster into the ground.

Now only three remained and Truth was up next. "Stand back…I'll show you how it's done." The very way he moved to attack was like one fluent motion. He ducked underneath the beast's arm as it swiped at him. Before you could blink, he was already close enough and slashing like crazy at the behemoth.

Regardless, the monster seemed unfazed by the onslaught as it raised both its arms up. It quickly brought them back down, crushing the Heavy Axeman, in its clawed grip, into a disfigured mess.

With all of the PKers dead, Suma and Eterni were the only ones left. And surely they were next to die…But…

Unexpectedly, the cathedral doors flung open. And now standing in the doorway was a red-clad Twin Blade, a pink-haired Heavy Blade, and an armored Blademaster with wings. They rushed down the rows of benches, weapons prompt for attack.

The Blademaster soared into the air and landed in front of the beast. "Rue Crack! Hah!" The monster swung at the swordsman, but he had already leapt into the air.

With his sword held above his head, he clasped it tightly as he brought it down and cut the monster down the middle. The female Heavy Blade ran in for a strike next.

"Calamity!" Planting her large blade into the floor, she used it as a mount and raised herself into the air. Building on the momentum, she pulled the sword out from under her and swung it forward. The monster cringed and stumbled back.

Trying to defend itself, the behemoth swung its arms out and swatted the players away. The Blademaster caught himself into midair by use of his wings, while the Heavy Blade demolished the benches as she collided with them.

The Twin Blade went to check on his Heavy Blade friend, while the Blademaster flew back at the beast. "Rue Revolver!" he cried out.

The winged swordsman spun wildly as he launched himself at his opponent, slashing into it repeatedly. As a result of the onslaught of attacks, the green hexagons seemed to break off of the monster.

The Twin Blade finally stepped forward, something shining mysteriously on his right wrist. Suddenly, the light came to life as it grew into a large bracelet. It shimmered a bright green and blue and began spinning around the player's wrist. The Twin Blade aimed the oddity at the creature; the bracelet seemed to react. Then several beams shot from the bracelet and pierced the monster, completely destroying the emerald shapes surrounding it.

The Heavy Blade dashed back in as the bracelet subsided, unleashing her best attack and ravaging the beast. It fell down and vanished, defeated.

Things calmed down and everything went silent. Suma, who was hiding underneath a wrecked bench, remained hidden to eavesdrop on the three players.

"What's going on here? I thought all the Data Bugs were gone!" the Heavy Blade blurted out.

The Blademaster, calmer than the female, spoke up. "BlackRose, calm down. This isn't the time to get worked up. We have to figure out how the bug even got here."

The Twin Blade looked at the hand that the bracelet was on. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this anymore. But…But, it looks like…that this isn't over. There's something we didn't finish," he commented quietly.

BlackRose looked at the Twin Blade, holstering her sword over her shoulder. "What do you mean, Kite?"

_Kite! That's him! Great…Just perfect._

Suma decided to come out of hiding as he pushed the broken pieces of wood off his body. Brushing himself off, he stood up and looked at the group of three. Although, he avoided eye contact with Kite.

"Oh, hey are you alright?" BlackRose asked Suma upon seeing him.

Suma shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess…" he mumbled, walking past the group and back over to Eterni, who was lying on the floor unconscious.

The Heavy Axeman suddenly sprung to life when Suma shook her. "What? Oh, I thought I died. What happened?" she asked the Twin Blade.

Suma scratched his head. "Uh…I'm not quite sure. Something crazy…" he replied.

Standing up, he turned towards Kite. "So, yeah, what the hell did you do?" he asked, sounding more aggravated than thankful.

The other Twin Blade was caught off guard. "Well, I…" he began, looking at the bracelet as it began resonating when Suma got close.

Suma crossed his arms. "Come on, out with it!" his said, his voice raising.

BlackRose stepped forward, getting in Suma's face. "Hey, what the hell is your problem!" she shouted, "Is that any way to talk to someone who just saved your life!"

Suma glared a hole through BlackRose, nudging her back to the side. "Come on, Kite. Tell me…Tell me, why does everyone mistake me for you? Huh? Answer me that!" he growled.

Before Kite could even begin thinking of an answer, Suma trudged off towards the sanctum doors. Eterni ran after the Twin Blade as he left.

"He was certainly a rude one," Balmung commented.

"He's probably just jealous…" BlackRose muttered angrily.

Kite stayed quiet, but watched his counterpart leave. The bracelet's resonating faded as the Scythe left.

BlackRose looked to her teal-haired companion. "What's the matter, Kite? That moron didn't bother you did he?"

"No," Kite began, "It's not that. It's just…the bracelet. It was reacting to him. I have a feeling that we'll see him again."

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH **

As Suma appeared in Root Town, he immediately turned to log out.

_Today was a disaster. Why'd I even log in at all?_

Before he could leave, Eterni grabbed his shoulder. "Wait! Can I talk to you for a second?"

Suma turned around, not really in the mood for talking. "Yeah, sure," he mumbled.

Eterni twiddled her thumbs. "Listen, about earlier, before all that stuff happened…"

Suma didn't reply, but gave her a blank stare.

"Do you want my Member Address? I had a good time talking to you. But, I understand if you don't want it," the Heavy Axeman replied.

A small smile popped onto the Twin Blade's face. "Sure, I'll take it. You'd be my first one. Everyone else before you thought I was Kite."

Suma and Eterni exchanged Member Addresses.

Eterni instantly cheered up. "Great, then, I'll see you around, Suma!" she exclaimed as she logged out.

Suma smiled again to himself.

Okay, so maybe today wasn't all bad…

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH **

**So what do you think? Is that okay? R 'n' R Please! Thanks!**


	2. The Fountain of Youth

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews everybody! I really appreciate the positive feedback. Of course, you're welcome to offer suggestions on where I need to improve. Take it away, Disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: Angelglory does not own ".hack/"**

**Revision: I added more to the end. I thought it was kinda abruptly ended, so went back and added on to it…**

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**_Chapter 2: The Fountain of Youth _**

When I left that cathedral yesterday, I felt that I saw something that I shouldn't have. Something that "The World" didn't want me to see. No, it couldn't be, I'm just being paranoid…right?

Suma pondered about yesterday's events as his Desktop loaded. The background image was a picture of his character, drawn by himself. After the screen finished loading, he went right to "The World" icon. But before he clicked, he noticed that his mailer was flashing.

"Huh? I have mail? That's weird; I never get mail…" he mumbled to himself.

Opening his mailer, he checked for the new message. Sure enough, there it was. It was a message from Eterni titled: "Root Town"

"Hi, Suma. How are you feeling? Do you wanna play with me today? I'll be waiting in Mac Anu if you do."

Shrugging, Suma closed the mail and logged onto "The World". As he appeared in the Aquatic Capital, a female Heavy Axeman was there to greet him.

"Hi, Suma. I'm glad to see you decided to come," Eterni commented.

The Twin Blade shrugged and crossed his arms. "Yeah…"

"Hey, is something wrong? You can tell me, we're friends now after all," the girl remarked.

Suma laughed at himself. "It's nothing. I'm just not used to having friends," he replied, sending a Flash Mail to Eterni to form a party.

"If you say so," Eterni said back, accepting the invitation to Suma's party. "So, where do you want to go?"

The Scythe rubbed his neck. "Hmm, I don't know. Do you know any interesting Keywords?"

Eterni looked down at the stone ground. "Um, no, not really. Sorry."

Just then, a Long Arm and a Blademaster Gated In. They both seemed out of breath and fatigued. The Long Arm looked back to the Chaos Gate with a look of regret.

"Phew! That was a real close one!" shouted the Heavy Blade.

"But…what about him? He's still on the field," the Long Arm announced. "Shouldn't we go back and help him?"

The Blademaster waved his hand lazily. "Yeah right, I'm not going back there! That monster was way too tough. I'm done for today, anyway. See ya." He logged out.

The Long Arm continued to stare at the Chaos Gate, unsure of what to do. "What should I do? That thing was way too strong for that level field. I can't help him…"

"Um, excuse me," Eterni stepped towards the panicked player. "What are the Keywords to that field you're talking about? Maybe my friend and I can help," Eterni asked politely.

The Long Arm looked back at the Heavy Axeman. "Huh? Oh, well, it's **_Delta: Entwined Betrayed Wavemaster_**. If you really want to go, please be careful. There's a really strong monster there. I'd ask to go with you to the dungeon, but I have to log off for now," he answered, logging off shortly after.

"**_Entwined Betrayed Wavemaster_**, huh? Let's see what we can do. It sounds interesting enough," Suma commented, walking up next to his partner.

Eterni nodded to her companion. "Right, it sounds like someone is in danger. We should definitely get going." And so, the two warped off to the entered field.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

It was a snow-covered field. Stone structures stuck out from the ground; perhaps some civilization long lost under the ice. A fairy orb scouted out the area ahead, and revealed only about four or five magic portals. But for some reason, they all seemed to surround the dungeon entrance.

"Do you see that? I've never seen portals completely circling a dungeon before," Suma remarked, looking at his map.

Eterni shuddered slightly. "Yeah, it's kind of creepy. Like their guarding the entrance or something," she replied.

The two players proceeded towards the heavily guarded dungeon entrance. Their footsteps kicked up fresh snow and left imprints in the white of where they had been.

"Suma, maybe we should just run past the monsters and straight into the dungeon," suggested Eterni.

"I'm all for that," Suma replied, picking up his pace.

As they got closer, the magic portals began to activate, releasing the monsters. Following Eterni's suggestion, the two made a mad dash past the beasts and right into the dungeon.

The inside of the dungeon was all stone. The walls, the floors, everything. Another fairy's orb revealed the map for B1 and another odd set-up…

"What the hell? No portals? Not even one?" Suma exclaimed confusedly.

Eterni shuddered again, holding her axe close. "Something's not right here…"

"Come on, that player still needs help. He's probably in the lowest level," Suma claimed, changing the subject.

The Twin Blade and Heavy Axeman cleared the first floor as fast as possible. But a portal-less B2 would bring up more questions.

"Do you think that this was a set-up? Maybe those players were actually PKers," Eterni speculated.

Suma shrugged his shoulders. "You might be right. Then again, that still doesn't explain the magic portals surrounding the dungeon or the absence of them inside the dungeon," he replied, only making the tension worse.

"…" Eterni became quiet. This whole thing just made her nervous. But why should it? It's just a game…right?

They soon reached B3, the lowest level of the dungeon. The fairy's orb showed about three rooms, all in a line. Of course, the last one had the Gott statue in it. Preceding it though, was a short hallway and a large square shaped room. As the pair of players walked into the hallway, an echo called out.

"Wait," Suma began, "Did you hear that?"

Eterni nearly jumped out of her shoes. "Ah! What, what, what? Hear what?"

The Twin Blade listened closer to the echoes. "It sounds like…someone crying out in pain."

"..._Ah! Someone help!..."_

"Yeah, now I hear it." That's when it suddenly hit her. "Wait that must be the player that's in trouble!"

Eterni lunged forward, running ahead of Suma.

"Hey, wait up, Eterni!" he called out.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

"Ah! Someone help!" he cried out.

But what was the point? No one had heard and came to his rescue yet, so what was the use of calling for help? No one would come like all of the other times…

His health was slowly deteriorating as the monster clung tightly to his body with its vines. He was veiled with a sense of frailty and weakness as he hung there, suspended in the air. The monster had the head, arms, and torso of a woman yet was otherwise made up of vines. It held onto him, glaring into his frightened eyes.

The vines tightened even more around his body. The pain felt so real. But it shouldn't, this is just a game.

The creature, without warning, broke its gaze and looked towards one of the room entrances. Rushing in was a female Heavy Axeman and a male Twin Blade. Had they heard his cry for help?

"Hey! Are you okay?" the Axeman called out to him.

He suddenly started to panic. "H-Help! Please! I…" Before he could go on, more vines wrapped around him. And he was lost beneath the greenery.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

"Crap! That thing looks tough," Suma said to himself, as he drew his blades.

Eterni holstered her axe up, prompting herself for attack. "That Long Arm was right. That kind of monster shouldn't be here," she murmured.

The monster slithered towards its new prey. All at once, its vines leapt forth to ensnare the two players. Suma jumped up to meet the oncoming plants.

"Swirling Scythe!" He held his blades outward and spun around vertically at blurring speeds, slicing apart any vine that dared get close to him.

Eterni swung her axe and with a mighty blow bashed all of the approaching vines away from her. "Brandish!"

The Twin Blade, however, was caught in mid-air by a MeJuk Kruz spell. Several branches all converged and collided with him, eating away his health. He was thrown back by the spell and crashed into the ground, skidding back a few feet.

The vines soon after outnumbered Eterni and began grabbing hold of her. They constricted her movement and made her drop her axe. "AH! Suma, help!" she screamed out.

Suma got back to his feet, after chugging a Health Drink, and charged at the beast. "Hold on, Eterni! Swirling Scythe!" he shouted.

He cut into the monster as best he could, trying to free Eterni from the vines. Unexpectedly, a vine latched onto his foot and slammed him into the floor hard.

_This is messed up. Monsters aren't supposed to be able to do this or be this smart! What the hell is going on here?_

The vines began a strangle hold on the Twin Blade, pinning him on the floor. It was a fine mess they had gotten themselves into. Now they would all be slowly killed by the entanglement.

"Gan Divider!" a voice called out. A large rock covered sword came down and smashed into the monster.

The beast cringed back and tried to retreat, but the sword came back with another attack and slashed it again. The vines released its prisoners and went after the new target.

The sword clashed with the vines, but easily ripped through them. The sword continued forward and soon impaled the monster upon it. It slid off the blade and fell onto ground, vanishing.

The owner of the sword continued towards the Gott statue like nothing had happened. Meanwhile, the three players lay there on the cold stone floor. Suma sat up and watched the silhouette of the swordsman walking away.

A sudden fit of coughing rang out as the player that was trapped before emerged from the dead vines.

He was a Wavemaster with a frail look in his being. His blue hair fell neatly around his face, partially cover his eyes. His hat was green and gray had a cross with four red jewels surrounding it. His hands trembled as they clung to his chest, forcing himself to breath. The emerald robes with a red line down the middle hung loosely over his body and his long baggy gray sleeves cover his hands.

Eterni now sat up and looked towards the Wavemaster. "Hey, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"I'm…" he began before coughing again, "I'll be okay."

After a few minutes, he settled down and began breathing regularly. "Um, t-thank you for saving me. My name's River," the boy said meekly.

Suma stood up and stretched his arms out. His body ached for some reason. Games aren't supposed to feel this real…something wasn't right. "Nice to meet you, River. I'm Suma the Scythe, and that's Eterni."

Eterni gave a small wave to the Wavemaster as they all stood up now. River looked at Suma inquisitively. "You're Suma the Scythe? I've heard of you. You beat the event before anyone else had the chance to," he murmured. "Thank you so much, Mr. Suma. And Ms. Eterni as well," he exclaimed, bowing with gratefulness to Suma and Eterni.

Suma blushed at the use of River's formalities. "Hey, you don't have to be so polite. We were only…" Suma stopped…

The swordsman came walking back from the Gott Statue. His hair was spiky and blonde, hiding the right half of his face. Teal eyes glanced back at Suma. Most of his body was covered by a large brown cloak, underneath was blue garb and a silver shoulder pad. The sword on his back was very large and proved that he was a Heavy Blade.

The Heavy Blade whispered something to himself as he left the room. It sounded like…

"…Twilight Dragon."

"Something wrong, Mr. Suma?" River asked the Twin Blade.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing," Suma dodged the question, snapping back to reality.

Eterni dusted her dress off and fixed her hair. "Anyway, don't you think that monster was a little out of place? It even seemed smarter and could do stuff monsters shouldn't be able to do."

Suma nodded solemnly, sipping on another Health Drink. "Yeah, it's not supposed to hurt…but it did."

"…Well, it's no wonder why I was frightened when it had hold of me," River admitted. "Oh, La Repth!"

The healing spell restored everyone's health points some, but the real pain still remained.

"Well, I have to be going," River claimed. "But, please, if there's anything I can help you with. Please give me a call."

Suma and Eterni received River's Member Address.

With that, River vanished. "I have to go too," Eterni remarked. "Bye."

Eterni vanished as well, leaving all Suma alone.

_What that guy meant by "Twilight Dragon", I don't know. But I've got this feeling…that it might have to do something with what's going on in "The World"._

_When I logged off, I saw all over my body: bruises. They weren't there when I logged on…_

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**R 'n' R Please. Thanks!**


	3. The Saint For Sinners

**Author's Note: Sorry about any problems with my updating. I'm still adjusting my schedule on how I update all of my fics. Take it away, Disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: Angelglory does not own ".hack/"**

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH **

**_Chapter 3: The Saint For Sinners_**

Suma sat in his chair, in the real world, with bandages around his chest. Sure, he didn't have to hide it from anyone, but it still really hurt. He lived alone after all, so he didn't have time for such luxuries like sympathy. And he didn't want to go to the hospital. If he did, everyone at school would think that his "parents" hurt him.

"Bah! What a load of crap," he grumbled, "Everyone's just out to get in my way and make me miserable. Bastards…"

Suma accessed "The World" and logged on. Ah, "The World", his sanctuary, his Promised Land. He played the game so much; he only called himself Suma now. He didn't care what his real name was after all. Besides, he had enough of the name "Aaron".

"I'm Suma the Scythe, resident of 'The World'."

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

The Scythe materialized in Mac Anu and stretched his arms up into the air. He opened his list of Member Addresses and looked at the measly two players who had become his friends over the last few days. Eterni and River.

He sent Flash Mail to both of them to form a party. Maybe they're on today; maybe he could have friends today.

River appeared at the Chaos Gate and he waved once he saw Suma. "Hello, Mr. Suma. How are you?"

"A little achy, but all right I guess," Suma replied.

River walked next to Suma. "Um, hey, did you hear about the contest?" he asked the Twin Blade meekly.

Suma looked intrigued. "Contest? You mean a new event?" He always loved a new challenge.

"N-No, I heard there's a player in Mac Anu who's having a contest of some sort. Do you want to check it out?" River looked hopefully at Suma.

Suma shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not? But let's wait for Eterni before we go," he replied.

"Go where?" Eterni appeared by the Chaos Gate. "Are you going somewhere without me?"

River jumped and turned towards the Heavy Axeman. "Oh, of course not, Ms. Eterni. We were just waiting for you," the Wavemaster answered.

Eterni turned her back on her companions. "Well, I have to take care of something at Dun Loireag. Could you two wait for me for a little bit longer?"

Suma grumbled. "Oh come on, I'm tired of waiting…"

Eterni fluttered her eyes, putting on an adorable act. "Please? Only for a few minutes," she whined.

Suma sighed and rolled his eyes. "Bah. Fine, whatever, just hurry up, will ya?"

Eterni gave a quick salute to Suma and left for Dun Loireag. "Yes sir!" she called back as she vanished.

"Jeez, she's weirder than usual…" Suma mumbled, as he watched Eterni leave.

River looked towards the bridge, watching various players gathering nearby. "Why don't we check out the contest while we wait?" he suggested.

Suma turned from the gate and started walking towards the commotion. "Yeah…why not?" he remarked, as River followed after.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

Many male players gathered on the old bridge of Mac Anu. They all clamored about something of a contest. Suma and River stood near the back of the pack, trying to get a good view. But finally, a lone player emerged from the middle of the crowd and stood on the railing of the bridge. It was one of the new classes, an Archmaster, wielder of bow and arrows. It was a female and she stood proudly above the mass of players.

Her hair was a golden blonde and shimmered in the daylight. A jeweled headband was wrapped around her forehead, very nice looking. A pink heart-like symbol was tattooed her right cheek. Around her neck was a yellow scarf that hung down the center of her chest and down her back on the other side. She wore an open beige short-sleeved jacket, but nothing underneath. Her scarf covered her just enough. Her beige skirt came down to her knees and had slits up both sides, allowing better movement. In her hands, she held a large bow with a single heart-tipped arrow.

"All right, boys, are you all ready? Who ever catches the arrow wins the prize!" the girl exclaimed.

Suma was having a hard time hearing what the Archmaster was explaining over the jabbering of all the other players. "What's she saying?"

"Ready?" The Archmaster pulled the bow back. "Set?" She aimed carefully into the sky. "GO!" She let it go and the arrow flew into the air.

The mob of players all watched the arrow soar into the sky. They fanned out, arms lifted into the air. The arrow finally turned around and began to plummet. It came down fast and with unknown precision.

"What the hell?" Suma mumbled, as he watched the arrow.

**_SMACK!_** "OW! Hey!" The arrow bonked Suma on the head, and then fell into River's hands.

Suma clutched his head and grumbled. "What kind of contest is that?" he complained.

River looked overjoyed as he held the arrow up. "Look, Mr. Suma, I caught the arrow!" he exclaimed.

All of the players surrounded River and Suma. "Hey congratulations!" one player said. "I'm so jealous!" remarked another.

"Wow, I've never won anything before…" River admitted.

The Archmaster suddenly came through the crowd, and approached the young Wavemaster with the arrow. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him over. "You caught the arrow, right?"

River nodded, blushing intensely. "Yes, yes, I did. Well, actually it more of bounced into my hands," he answered.

"So, it bounced off the ground and landed in your hands. Hmm, all right, I guess we have to do it over again," the Archmaster sighed.

"Wait, it didn't bounce off the ground," River said timidly. "It…uh…"

Suma suddenly spoke up. "Yeah, your stupid arrow hit me in the head first! What kind of contest is hitting people with arrows?"

"Oh, so you actually _did_ catch it?" the girl asked River, completely ignoring Suma's anger.

River clutched the arrow nervously. "Y-Yes," he replied.

The Archmaster rubbed her chin and nodded to herself a few times. She looked back at River again and said cheerfully, "Congratulations, you've been selected by Love to watch the Apprentice of Affection navigate the illustrious dungeon of **_Delta: Dazzling Smiling Spiral_**."

The player winked at River and placed her index finger on her lips then pressed it against his lips. "Don't keep me waiting, okay?" she said.

River was mesmerized. "Y-Yes, ma'am, I'll be there," he exclaimed obediently.

The Archmaster smiled and then ran off towards the Chaos Gate. She was probably off to the mentioned field.

Suma and River just watched in disbelieve as she left. The mass of players eventually disbanded and returned to their own business, leaving the two on the bridge.

Suma spoke up, after snapping out of his daze, "Man, what a freak, I can't stand players like that. Let's just forget about the weirdo, River," he ranted.

"Can we go there, Mr. Suma?" River asked suddenly.

Suma narrowed his eyes to River. "Oh yeah, sure. And when we do, we can cheer her on like a couple of rabid fan boys," the Twin Blade answered with heavy sarcasm.

"Really?" River looked hopeful.

"NO!" Suma shouted, "She's the kind of player that people like me completely ignore!" he pointed towards the Chaos Gate where the Archmaster had ran off too.

"Is that so, Suma? Hmm, and I thought we were friends," a voice claimed.

Suma looked to where he was pointing only to see Eterni standing before him. The Twin Blade jumped back nearly five feet. "AH! Oh, hey there, Eterni. Didn't see you there. Eh heh heh," Suma said nervously.

"So, you think I'm nobody, do you?" Eterni stated, raising her axe up into the air threateningly.

Suma waved his hands back and forth. "No, no, no! I wasn't talking about you, I swear!"

"It's true, Ms. Eterni. There was this player who asked us to come to a field," River explained.

The Wingless lowered her axe. "Oh, well, sorry Suma," she apologized to the Twin Blade.

Suma got back up to his feet and dusted his pants off. "Yeah, yeah… Anyway, now that we're all here, what field should we go too?"

River raised his hand. "Can we please go that field? I really want to watch Ms. Love traverse the dungeon," he admitted.

Suma grumbled, slapping his forehead. "For the love of God…If you want to go, go by yourself!" he yelled at the Wavemaster.

"Suma!" Eterni said scornfully. "What's the matter with you?"

The raven-haired player said nothing in reply. He only grumbled and walked away from his friends, his hands shoved into his coat pockets.

River and Eterni watched the Twin Blade wander off into town. They both received a notice that Suma has left their party.

"Suma…" The Heavy Axeman said softly as she looked sadly at Suma's vanishing form.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

River glanced down at the ground, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make Mr. Suma angry like that…"

Eterni placed a gentle hand on the young Wavemaster's shoulder. "It's not your fault. I'm sure he has a reason why he doesn't want to go to that field," she said reassuringly.

River twiddled his thumbs, still feeling responsible for Suma's aggression. "But I…"

The Axeman stepped in front of River, placing both hands on his shoulders. "Let's not think about it, anyway," she paused for a moment. "Say, why don't we go to that field you were talking about?"

River quickly looked up at Eterni. "R-Really? You want to go?" he asked. "But what about Mr. Suma?"

The girl lifted her hands from the boy's shoulders. "I'm sure he'll feel better later. Please don't worry too much," she replied.

"Sorry," River apologized. "Should we go to **_Dazzling Smiling Spiral_** then?"

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

The Scythe kicked a can fiercely as he walked into the back alley. The dim light gave shelter to the bright morning sun, as he slumped against a dirty brick wall. He slid down and hit the ground. The cold-hearted player fought some ridiculous tears back.

Why should he be crying? Was there something that happened at that field?

"Why did it have to be _that_ field?" Suma muttered.

Suma hated that field with a fiery passion. It's where he lost his only friend…

_Flashback_

_The rain came pouring down from the virtual sky and fed the dying grass the water it so needed. Two players where at each others throats despite the storm above…_

_A Long Arm growled at a Twin Blade, "Damn it, Aaron! Stop blaming the world for your parents' deaths. I'm sick of it!"_

_Suma snapped back ferociously, "Shut your mouth! You don't know how it feels, Zach! So just shut up!"_

_Zach turned his back on Suma. "It was your own fault they're dead. Just yours…no one else's."_

_Suma was taken aback but also made even more furious. "Take that back!" The Twin Blade shoved the Long Arm. "NOW!"_

_The spear-wielder swung his weapon at Suma. "Don't touch me!"_

_The tip of Zach's spear cut Suma across his chest. The Twin Blade looked down at his chest as blood slowly stained his clothes. "You…you cut me. You actually cut me!" Suma yelled._

"_Cry me a river, Aaron," Zach retorted as he logged out. "Cry me a damn river…"_

_Suma was left standing in the rain; he glared intensely at the spot where Zach had just vanished. _

_The blood began dripping onto the damp ground._

_End Flashback_

The next day, Suma had found out that Zach was shot and killed after he logged off. The rumor mail was very quickly unforgiving to him. The rumors where that Suma had killed Zach…

"_I heard they got into a huge argument. Aaron couldn't control himself, so he shot him. What a scumbag."_

"_Aaron's a psycho. There's no telling when he'll try and kill us all."_

"_No wonder he doesn't have any friends; he kills them all."_

But Suma knew he couldn't have done it, he was online the rest of that night. He felt horrible afterwards. It was his fault that his friend was murdered.

He later visited Zach's grave…to apologize.

_Flashback_

_The boy no longer known as Aaron stood before his friend Zach's grave. The rain came falling from the sky like a waterfall. _

"_Zach…" Suma began, "You were right, Zach. It was my fault. And now it's my fault again. I'm sorry."_

_The teen let his tears mix with the raindrops. "I just can't help myself, can I? If I wasn't such an idiot…you…you'd still be alive." _

_Suma knelt down and placed a shaking hand on the tombstone. "I never took the blame for anything, you know? Always blamed someone else. I've been like that for God knows how long. It didn't do me any good, though, just look what happened."_

_He lowered his head; he just couldn't bear to read the name on the grave anymore. "But I know now. It's my fault. Always has been, always will be. Everyone else is pure. I'm not."_

_Suma stood back up and turned away from the grave. "I just wanted to apologize. I'm not fit to have any friends in this world. If I'm lucky, I'll see you in another life Zach."_

_He walked away into the night storm. "Farewell, friend…"_

_End Flashback_

"Is that why?" a voice asked, "You won't go because of bad memories?"

Suma shot his glance into the shadows, where a Heavy Blade stood concealed. The Twin Blade jumped to his feet.

"Who's there?" Suma shouted, slowly drawing his blades.

A blonde man covered in a cloak emerged from the darkness. It was the same Heavy Blade that saved Suma and the others from the monster in the dungeon before. "No one special, just an observer. Your quarrel is not with me."

"Y-You're that guy from before! What do you want?" the Twin Blade demanded to know.

"I don't want nor need anything. It's more along the lines of where you need to be," the swordsman replied.

Suma was at a loss. "What? Where I need to be?"

"**_Dazzling Smiling Spiral_**. There's something there you need to see," the man answered.

Suma grumbled at the mention of that field. "Yeah right. I don't care what I 'need to see' there, I'm not going."

The blonde crossed his arms and sighed. "Then you don't care about your so-called 'friends' then? I don't see why, seeing how this isn't the same world as the one you lost Zach in. You should be fit to have friends here, right?"

Suma stepped back. "H-How did you…? How do you know about Zach? Who are you?"

"Go to that field. You may find an answer…or maybe another question," the Heavy Blade responded before logging out.

The raven-haired teen was left speechless in the dark alley as the fictional world past him by.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

Dazzling Smiling Spiral was a grass field. The grass on the ground was a dying yellow, thirsty for water. A rumbling storm bellowed overhead and torrentially poured rain down on the begging ground.

Eterni and River appeared on the field Love had invited the Wavemaster to. Although, the Archmaster was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no," River mumbled, "Did we miss her? What if she already left?"

"Huh?" A voice sounded out. It was Love. "So you _did_ decide to come. I'm already in the dungeon, so hurry up now."

The voice faded, leaving the two players alone in the rain.

"Shall we go then? She won't wait for long, right?" Eterni said, looking towards River.

River nodded in reply. "Yes, let's go."

As the two began their trek to the dungeon, another voice called out to them. "Hark! Excuse me fine travelers."

It was a male Heavy Axeman calling them. He wore green armor but had no helmet. His body was wider than round like most male Axeman.

He trudged over them and spoke his purpose. "I am here confronting my rival. May I ask what brings you here?"

"Well," Eterni began, "My friend was invite by someone to this dungeon. Something about watching her traverse the dungeon or whatnot."

River nodded in agreement. "Yes, Ms. Love invited me after I won her contest."

The Axeman looked shocked at both of their explanations. "What? She's already here? Piros the Silver White shall not have this!" he shouted.

He then made a mad dash for the dungeon yelling something that sounded like, "I won't let her have all of the glory!"

"…" The two players stood speechless for a moment before continuing onward.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

The dungeon was about four floors and didn't have a lot of magic portals to slow them down, so Eterni and River arrived at the lowest level in no time. But once they got there, all they saw was an argument.

"How many times do I have to tell you, you big oaf, I got here first so I won," Love barked at Piros.

The Heavy Axeman shook his fist angrily at the Archmaster. "You used dishonesty and cheated! We were both supposed to start at the same time! I demand a redo!"

Love crossed her arms and scoffed. "In your dreams, you're just a sore loser."

"You take that back, you!" Piros growled.

"Please, please stop arguing, "River asked, as he approached the two bickering players.

But they seemed to ignore him and continue their ranting and raving. Eterni sighed and shook her head. "They're like little kids."

Just then, a red-clad Twin Blade and a pink-haired Heavy Blade entered then room. They didn't say anything, but only approached the situation.

"_The same ones from the cathedral…_" Eterni thought.

"What's going on here?" the Twin Blade asked the Wingless.

Eterni snapped back to reality and looked towards Love, Piros, and River. "Um…Just an argument, I suppose."

"Kite," the Heavy Blade said to her partner, "There."

The Heavy Blade pointed past the arguing players to a magic portal that was slowly appearing before them.

"It's here," Kite said quietly.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

Suma walked through the dungeon agitated. He only glared at the space ahead of him as he walked on. He hated this field, it had such a happy name, but it only brought pain.

He grumbled, letting his black hair fall over his face. What did the player mean by 'there's something he needed to see here'?

Suma finally decided to move his thoughts elsewhere.

"Damn it, we kind of game is this? Everything just doesn't make any sense anymore. First that monster at the cathedral, then that bastard with the glowing beams of light, monsters actually hurting players, and now this," the Twin Blade groaned.

As the Scythe talked to himself, something floated past his face. It caught the player off guard, causing him to take a step back. He stuck his hand out and the object gently landed on his palm.

"What the…? A feather?"

It was a white shimmering feather. And another suddenly floated by. Suma looked to where it had come from to see a few more feathers hovering along the air. They lead into the next room, so he followed them absent-mindedly.

As he entered, everything became hazy…

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

White. All around was a white room that continued on forever. The Twin Blade, Suma, stood lost in the vastness.

And before him lay an odd scene. A fragment of something that ceased to continue. A woman held a man in her arms, the man lying on the ground dead. The woman had large wings sprouting from her back. But yet, neither of them had no faces. Mere mannequins of what they should be.

"What…what is this place?" Suma mumbled.

_Follow the light, and you will surely be taken._

_Deny the light, and you will surely be stolen._

_What will you do? Escape slips from your grasp._

_You must take yourself to end it._

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**This turned out way different than I thought it was going to. But I like how it came out regardless. R 'n' R Please. Thanks!**


	4. The Apprentice of Affection

**Author's Note: A sweet fight right off the bat. Also, there's the appearance of another new character. This is definitely the longest chapter I've written in a long time! Take it away, Disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: Angelglory does not own ".hack/" But he does own the new characters, such as Suma and Eterni. They've just been altered to fit the ".hack/" world.**

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**_Chapter 4: The Apprentice of Affection_**

White. All around was a white room that continued on forever. The Twin Blade, Suma, stood lost in the vastness.

And before him lay an odd scene. A fragment of something that ceased to continue. A woman held a man in her arms, the man lying on the ground dead. The woman had large wings sprouting from her back. But yet, neither of them had faces. Mere mannequins of what they should be.

"What…what is this place?" Suma mumbled.

_Follow the light, and you will surely be taken._

_Deny the light, and you will surely be stolen._

_What will you do? Escape slips from your grasp._

_You must take yourself to end it._

These words didn't make any sense. What did they mean? Suma stood there, staring at the faceless dolls that lay before him, trying to comprehend these words.

It was then that something began to happen.

A distortion in reality came into existence. Red as blood, an object began rising from the floor. Several more objects rose up from the floor after it. They seemed to be connecting to each other, taking the form of something.

Finally, in its completion, it revealed itself. A crimson red bracelet hovered before him now, with what seemed to be three large wings protruding from it.

Suma stared at this object as it floated in front of him. It closely resembled Kite's glowing bracelet… but why? Was there some sort of connection? Subconsciously, the Twin Blade began to raise his right hand. He reached for the red bracelet, as if he longed for it. In turn, the bracelet slowly moved towards him.

As the two met, everything faded from sight and the white room was replaced with darkness.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

The group of players all stared at the Magic Portal, as it became more solid with every passing second.

Kite tightened his grip on his blades and shifted into a fighting stance. BlackRose glanced at her partner quickly then took her own stance.

River stumbled a few steps back, while he nervously held his staff in his hands.

Everyone else cautiously fell into fighting stances. An overwhelming feeling of danger pulsed out from the portal.

The Magic Portal suddenly activated and the seal began to release. River stepped back some more, his body trembling. Just stay back and heal, he thought.

"Now!" Kite shouted as he leaned forward and burst into a sprint.

He reached the portal just as it completely released; he swung down hard at whatever it was that emerged.

There was a heavy impact as two blades clashed fiercely. As Kite looked up at what he was fighting with, a moment of shock beyond reason streaked across his face.

He saw another Kite staring back at him. The other Kite had patches all over its clothes, an unnatural shadow covered its right eye, and an emotionless expression was painted on its face. It had a pair of monstrous blades with three edges projecting from both of them.

It had blocked Kite's attack effortlessly with only one blade. The DotHacker applied more force, trying to push the other him back. But it remained still, unfazed by Kite's added strength.

Suddenly, it moved its blade and caught one of Kite's weapons in between two of its edges. It yanked Kite's blade from his hand, throwing the weapon across the room. It then retaliated with a swift kick to the Twin Blade's stomach. After, it smashed its other blade into his jaw. The force of the assault sent the dotHacker spiraling into the ground next to BlackRose.

"Kite! Are you okay?" BlackRose shouted, kneeling down next to the Twin Blade.

Kite coughed harshly as he tried to catch his breath. "I'm all right. But that thing is incredibly powerful," he replied.

River scurried towards Kite and BlackRose. "Don't worry, I'll heal you," he said.

The other Kite watched the Wavemaster for a moment, and then it instantaneously darted towards the Fountain of Youth.

It tackled River and pinned him against the wall with its left blade through his right shoulder. The Wavemaster cried out in pain as he felt the blade sinking into his flesh and piercing his shoulder bone. The fake Kite then raised its right blade up into the air, preparing to rend River's head from his shoulders.

"River!" Eterni lunged at the other Kite. "Brandish!" She swung her axe full force at it, but only to have the blow blocked by its right blade.

Leaving River stuck to the wall, the fake Kite turned its attention to the Heavy Axeman. The fake slashed and swiped its remaining blade at Eterni with ferocious intent, with the Wingless trying to block the hurricane of strikes as best as she could.

"I shall smite this imposter! Rai Basher!" Piros the Silver White thrust his axe at the fake Kite with amazing speed. But the attack was easily hurdled over.

The fake landed on Piros' axe. It then dashed up the handle and kicked the Axeman in the jaw, causing him to stumble back. About to lop Piros' head right off, an arrow came right towards the fake.

The fake Kite instinctively caught the arrow with its left hand, snapping the arrow in two.

"What? But Charm Arrow should've worked!" Love shouted in a confused manner.

The other Kite now switched its attention to the Archmaster. Jumping off of Piros, it began strolling over to Love, who frantically reached for another arrow.

"Hey, stay back you creep! Go away!" Love shouted as she fumbled for an arrow. But the fake kept stalking towards her.

With the fake distracted by Love, Kite was able to retrieve his other blade and launch a sneak attack. As the other Kite got too close for comfort to the Archmaster, the real Kite slashed at it from behind.

"Staccato!" Kite ripped into the back of his fake, landing many hits and sending it reeling into the air.

BlackRose rushed in, sword stabbing the floor. Building momentum, she pushed down and flipped into the air. "Death Bringer!" The Deadly Flower brought her blade down hard on the fake, slamming it into the hard stone floor.

The other Kite somehow was able to keep the weapon from skewering it by blocking the blade with its boot. BlackRose tried overcoming the fake by breaking through its guard. But it was stubbornly persistent.

The Heavy Blade was growing frustrated. "Damn it, it's not working!" she growled.

Sensing an opening, the fake kicked the sword aside with its free foot. It leapt away into a corner and then just stood there.

Kite suddenly felt a reaction; he looked towards the Bracelet and saw that it was resonating. Glancing back at the other Kite, he saw a similar radiance coming from its right wrist.

Both Kites locked eyes as they raised the right hands, showing their bracelets.

Kite's green and the other red.

BlackRose gazed between the bracelets, completely shocked. "Kite…what's going on? Why does that thing have a bracelet too?"

"Who are you?" the Twin Blade asked his other self.

The fake lowered his hand and his head. An eerie voice boomed out and echoed through out the room.

"_The Children need to be cleansed…"_

It then fell forward onto the stone floor. A bright light engulfed it, nearly blinding everyone in the room.

As the light died down, someone else was laying on the ground instead of the fake.

By that time, Eterni had gotten River unpinned from the wall and rejoiced the rest of the players. When she saw who was lying there, she gasped and ran over to his side.

"Suma!"

The Wingless shook her friend, desperately trying to wake him. "Suma! Suma! Please wake up! Please!"

But The Scythe remained unconscious. Kite was dumbfounded, what he had just witnessed… he didn't know what to think.

All he could do was look at Suma with a deep feeling of concern for the future.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

I woke up face down on my keyboard a few days later, my back aching. A day or two had past by since I found that white room. But the thing is… I don't remember anything after that. Had it been a dream?

More like a nightmare…

The more I thought about it, the more I remembered. I recalled a part that definitely was a dream. I was being attacked by a group of shadows. Some kind of monsters, maybe.

I was able to hold my own, until I got hit from behind a dozen times, then almost spilt in two by a shadow's huge sword!

Placing the nightmare aside, I decided to log onto "The World". Only to discover that… I'm still logged on! Crap!

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Suma the Scythe abruptly opened his eyes and looked around. He recognized the building structures surrounding him; he was in Mac Anu again. He stretched his arms and cracked his back as he stood up.

He had really been out for all that time?

"So, have you been reading the Board lately?" a girl's voice asked.

"Yeah, but it doesn't make any sense." Another feminine voice replied.

"I know, people getting hurt? What's with that? Is everyone just getting dumber or something?" the first girl ranted.

The second girl laughed, "I dunno. Could be. But some people are taking it really seriously."

"Yeah, I even heard the Blademaster Army is getting all riled up about it," the first girl pointed out.

"They'll go crazy about anything nowadays. Anyway, how's that little lover boy of yours?" the second girl asked.

The first girl giggled at the comment. "Still asleep. He's been out for a couple of days now."

_I've heard that voice somewhere before_, Suma thought. _But where?_

The Scythe poked his head out from behind the corner he was hiding behind. He saw that annoying Archmaster, Love, talking to a female Wavemaster. Love's eyes shifted towards Suma. When she saw him, she gasped slightly and abruptly ended her conversation with her friend.

"Well, uh, anyway, I gotta go for now. See ya!" Love shouted as she dove at Suma, shoving him back around the corner. The Wavemaster shrugged and went on her merry way.

Love looked nervously at the angry Twin Blade. "Suma, how've you been?" she asked.

"Just who was that girl calling me your 'lover boy'?" The Scythe grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Oh, don't mind that. What's more important is that you're awake and still alive!" she exclaimed, the Archmaster's mood instantly changing to cheerful.

Suma stammered a bit. "Whaddya mean 'still alive'?" he asked.

Love smirked, sensing the Twin Blade's curiosity. "Do you realize how many PKers are after you? You'd be mincemeat if it weren't for the Apprentice of Affection taking you back to Root Town all by herself."

Suma was at a loss for words. "Uhh…uh…well…"

"And if I hadn't watched over you while you were snoozing away, you'd be dead and without any of your items! Players can by so cruel," Love continued, placing the back of her right hand against her forehead in an overacting manner.

Suma lowered his head and mumbled something.

The Archmaster leaned in a little bit. "What was that? You have to talk louder," she said, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Thanks…" the Twin Blade grumbled.

"What?" Love asked, pretending not have heard the first time.

"God Damn it! I said thank you!" Suma yelled at the top of his lungs. Every player in the general area jumped at the sudden increase in volume.

"You don't have to so loud! Talk about cranky," the Archmaster complained.

Suma growled and shook his head, hoping to change to conversation, "ANYWAY, do Eterni and River know that I'm alright?"

Love just rolled her eyes. "Of course, silly. They've come by everyday to visit you. Eterni's been worried sick about you, ya know?"

Suma raised an interested eyebrow. "Is that true?"

"She's right, Suma," a voice answered from around the corner of the building, it was Eterni. She crossed her arms with a troubled look on her face. "I really _have_ been worried."

The Twin Blade cleared his throat a little, trying to draw the attention away from his slightly red face. "Well, uh, thanks I-I guess," he stuttered.

Eterni sensed her friend's embarrassment and smiled. A sly smile crept onto Love's face, but she kept to herself.

As Suma looked around, trying to find something to break the awkward silence, he spotted something lingering behind The Wingless. With a curious look on his face, he quietly pointed to the thing hiding behind Eterni.

The Heavy Axeman followed the Scythe's finger, as she looked backward. Eyeing what Suma was pointing to; she stepped out of the way to reveal River. The Wavemaster was caught off guard by Eterni's sudden movements, causing him to gasp a little.

"Oh, hey there River," Suma said upon seeing his other friend standing there.

But The Fountain of Youth just stood there in a daze. His left hand tugged nervously at the bandage cloth around his right shoulder. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but he bit his lower lip and suddenly ran off into the bustling aquatic capital.

"River! Wait a minute!" Eterni called out the Wavemaster. Unable to see him anymore, she turned back to Suma and Love. "Sorry about that… I'll go look for him. See you around, Suma."

And with that, Eterni also dashed into Mac Anu.

Suma scratched the back of his neck and said, "Hmm, wonder what's up with him."

Love had an expression like she knew something about it, but she just coughed and changed the subject, "Ahem, I'm sure it's nothing. Anyway, I think it's time for a debt to be repaid?"

Suma just turned to the Archmaster with a skeptical look. "Dwha?"

Love let out an aggravated sigh and slouched over. "Oh c'mon! Don't think you're getting off without paying me back. You owe me big time!" she barked.

Suma's skeptical gaze just got worse. "You can't frikkin' be serious…" he replied curtly.

"I AM! You're so inconsiderate!" The Apprentice of Affection bellowed. She immediately recovered from her outburst by clearing her throat and letting out a heavy sigh. "All right, here's what gonna happen. _You're_ coming with _me_ to **_Delta: Lonely Law's Drift_** and _we're_ going to get _me_ some rare treasure."

The Twin Blade rested his hands on his hips. "What makes you think I'll go with you? I hardly even like you," he commented.

A devious smirk unraveled onto Love's face. "Because if you don't," she approached The Scythe as she spoke, "Then I can't be certain that I'll be able to control my whirlwind of emotions for you." Suma just stared at her with an odd expression. The Archmaster ran her index finger down Suma's coat. "I'll declare my feelings for you to everyone in 'The World'," she remarked with a hint of seduction in her voice and in her eyes.

Suma could tell that Love was joking with him. But still, he had a feeling that she'd actually go _that far_ just to embarrass him. "Let's just get this over with," he grumbled, turning his face away from the giggling Archmaster.

Love returned to her spontaneous emotional self. "Great! To **_Delta: Lonely Law's Drift_**!" she shouted joyfully.

Suma received Love's Member Address.

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Various rock structures protruded from the ground, and odd statues were scarcely spread throughout the field. It had just started raining when the two players Gated In. Love frowned as she looked up at the dark clouds overhead.

"That's weird, it never rains on this field…" she stated. **(X)**

"Whatever," muttered Suma, as he grabbed his blades. "Just keep an eye out for monsters, will ya?"

"I'll send a Fairy Orb, then," the Archmaster answered as a small ball of light hovered out from her pocket. The light flew high into the darkened sky. A few moments later, it returned to Love with a message.

The Apprentice of Affection was a little confused by the message, "That's weird, no Magic Portals on the field at all. Wait, there _were_ some all around the entrance, but it looks like someone else activated them before we got here."

Suma suddenly remembered back to when he and Eterni had met River. That field had Magic Portals surrounding the dungeon entrance as well. An unsettling chill ran down Suma's spine.

"Something's up," the Twin Blade replied, "We should leave."

Love waved her hand lazily at The Scythe. "Don't be such a fraidy cat! It's less work for us in the long run. Let's just head for the dungeon, I can hear that treasure calling me!"

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As the two reached the dungeon entrance, they came to find a huge armored statue blocking the way inside.

"Hey! Who put this dumb statue here? It's blocking my way to the treasure!" Love shouted, fuming.

Suma just sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "Someone else who doesn't like you. And I don't think that thing's gonna move for you…"

"I don't care! Let me through, you big meanie!" she snarled as she kicked the statue's shin.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," the statue replied.

Love jumped backwards nearly ten feet. Suma fell on his backside when he heard the inanimate object give a reply. Did the statue just talk back?

"AH! It talks! It's a poltergeist! Make it go away, Suma!" the Archmaster screamed with panic as she flailed her arms about.

Suma regained his composure quickly, as he looked the talking statue over. A sweat drop rolled down his forehead. "That's no statue…"

The Twin Blade pointed up at the suspected statue. "It's a player! It's Asgard the Fortress."

Love was now legitimately confused. "Asgard?"

"Yeah, Asgard the Fortress is a Heavy Axeman player who stands guard at dangerous dungeons to keep low level players from getting themselves killed." Suma answered.

"So, you're heard of me," the statue/player remarked. "I'm not very surprised. I've heard of you as well, Suma the Scythe."

"Really now?"

"Yes, you're the Twin Blade who is a big target by a large majority of Player Killers."

The Scythe scratched the back of his head, and chuckled a little. "Well, at least I'm known for something…"

"I've also heard that you're often mistaken for the dotHacker, Kite…" Asgard added.

Suma fell flat on his face.

"Personally, I don't see the resemblance. So you can relax."

Asgard was about twice Suma's size. His body was adorned with heavy black armor with red linings. He wore a helmet that was shaped like a bucket, and a part of it protected his nose from harm. In his right hand he brandished a gargantuan axe that looked powerful enough to take down an entire building.

"Are you two done talking? I want that treasure!" Love barked with agitation.

"I'm sorry, but no one can enter this dungeon at this time," Asgard announced.

Love was nearly heart-broken. "W-What? Why? But I want the treasure, so bad. You can't do this to me!" she sobbed.

"Despite this being a low level field, there have been many complaints about it on the Board recently. All the players who've gone here say there's an overpowered monster in the lowest level. So until the Administrators fix the problem, I'm stopping players from putting themselves in danger," the Fortress told the two players, justifying his motives.

Hearing Asgard's explanation, Suma twitched slightly. This dungeon is just like the other one, no doubt about it. He didn't want to face another threat to his health in cyberspace.

But a small smirk crept onto the Twin Blade's face as he glanced at Love. "Why don't you go check to see if the monster is still there?" he asked slyly.

Love opened her mouth to shout a complaint at Suma but Asgard interrupted her. "It would be wise if you both left this field," he said.

The Archmaster looked as through she just got a Game Over. Sighing in defeat, she turned away from the other players. "Let's go, Suma…" she mumbled.

The Twin Blade felt relieved. He didn't have to trudge around with Love anymore…

"…To the treasure!" Love shouted as she suddenly darted past Asgard and into the dungeon.

Asgard was caught off-guard by Love's abrupt mad dash. "Wait, it's too dangerous!" he called out as he chased after the Archmaster.

Suma was now the only one left at the entrance. Slapping his forehead, he growled, "Damn it, I should've just logged off…" as he followed made his way into the dungeon. Little did he realize the red bracelet on his wrist was glowing eerily as he entered.

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Love hustled down the hallway with Asgard following close behind. She didn't care how many Players were chasing her, she wanted that treasure, she needed that treasure and she wouldn't let anyone get in the way of that.

"Miss, you have to stop!" Asgard shouted, "It's too dangerous down here!"

"Lay off, you big oaf! You can't stop me!" Love yelled with determination and she picked up her pace and charged into the next the room.

The Fortress grumbled in protest at the girl's disobedience. "You won't get away from me," he muttered as he continued his pursuit of the Archmaster.

A short time afterward, Suma strolled into the hall with aggravation making good friends with him. The Twin Blade grumbled a little with every step. He kept asking himself why he even went into the dungeon. He knew there was something really dangerous at the bottom, yet his virtual body continued moving forward. Something deep down inside him told him to keep going, whether he wanted to or not.

"Why do I always have to listen to my gut?" The Scythe muttered as he continued his way further into the dungeon.

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The Apprentice of Affection entered the room with the Gott Statue, smiling triumphantly about her victory. No monster in this dungeon even bothered to appear to futilely try and stop her. The Archmaster skipped happily over to the treasure that lay before the Gott Statue.

"I finally found it," she remarked, overjoyed.

Love opened the treasure chest and looked at what was inside. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Letting it soak in for a second or two, Love suddenly started crying. What she had been searching for wasn't here after all. Had she been lied too? Why wasn't it here? Nearly collapsing against the chest, the Archmaster began sobbing uncontrollably.

"No! Why aren't you here!" she yelled as she hit the empty box with desperate yet weak blows. "It's supposed to be here! Why isn't it here! Why?" she asked no one.

Asgard stood quietly at the room's entrance, watching this spectacle with a look of guilt on his face that hid behind his helmet. Had he not let her through, she wouldn't have found an empty chest.

The Gott Statue eventually deactivated and ceased its floating, tumbling down into the crevice of the room and landing on something. Stirring awake from its slumber, something began moving slowly.

Suma walked into the room and stood next to Asgard. "What's with her?" he asked The Fortress, as he observed Love.

"Some deeper issues, I would assume. It's best to just let her vent," the Heavy Axeman replied.

The Twin Blade just sighed and crossed his arms. "_Why am I not surprised?_" he thought to himself.

Love continued her crying as she clung to the treasure chest; as if holding might make what she was searching for appear. But unbeknownst to her, two long claw-like legs began emerging from the pit where the Gott Statue had fallen.

However, Asgard and Suma noticed right away. "What the…?" Suma exclaimed.

"It's the monster! Miss, get away from there!" Asgard shouted as he pulled up his axe.

Love sniffled as she looked back at the two players confusedly. "What…?" She turned her gaze towards the beast as it hoisted itself into view. Letting out a terrified scream, the Archmaster tried to scoot away from the monster that had just revealed itself.

The arachnid-like creature had two long claw-like legs as well as several small legs. Its hide was armored by a thick shell as tough as nails and it had two beady eyes on the front of its face.

Striking first, the monster lunged one of its smaller legs at Love. Its claw pierced right through her left leg and stopped her from getting away.

"Damn it! Leave her alone!" Suma yelled as he drew his twin blades.

But before he could do anything, the beast's two largest legs darted forward and pinned the Scythe and the Fortress against the wall. It dug its claw into Asgard's right shoulder while the other claw went straight into Suma's stomach. The Twin Blade coughed up a little blood as he could feel the monster's claw wrenching into him.

"I can't move! It's too strong!" Asgard growled as he tried to break free from the beast's grip.

The monster let out a low hiss as it slowly started to draw Love closer by pulling her by her skewered leg. The Archmaster tried her best to remove the claw from her limb but to no avail. The beast was going to devour her, which would be very bad.

"_If that thing has its way, then the game's gonna kill her!_" Suma realized.

The Scythe tried to pull the monster's claw from his stomach, but it was to powerful. His surroundings started to swirl and lose focus. He was losing consciousness fast and if he didn't do something about it, he'd be dead too.

The creature continued to pull Love closer to itself. She was close enough that the monster removed its claw from her leg and jabbed it into her left shoulder. The Apprentice of Affection cried out in pain and reached for her shoulder.

"_This isn't good, we're all dead if we don't do something. Come on! Think, damn it!_" Suma yelled in his mind.

_Use the Bracelet._

"_Huh? Who was that?_"

_Destroy it._

"_What?_"

_Delete it._

Suma's right wrist began to glow in an eerie red light and a shimmering bracelet came into form around it. Acting on instinct, the Scythe grasped the beast's claws once again. But this time, the claw began to disintegrate. The creature snarled in protest and it cringed and began flailing.

Free from the monster's grip, Suma lunged ferociously at the monster with his right hand out stretched. Slamming his open palm into the beast's face, Suma forced it back. It withdraw its claw from Love's shoulder, fell into the crevice, and onto the Gott statue.

The monster wailed in pain as it flailed its legs about, breaking the walls around it. Rubble and debris fell onto it, ending its pain.

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As the dust settled, Suma stood panting before the pile of rocks. He held his stomach with his right hand while his left hung limply at his side. He was glaring a hole through the destruction with a dark look on his face. He was nowconvinced thatThe World was trying to kill its Players. And that pissed him off.

A sharp cry of agony from behind him snapped him back into his head. He turned to see Love sobbing on the ground as she clutched onto her shoulder. Asgard, now able to move, made his way over and gently took the Archmaster into his arms.

"Suma, we have to get back to Root Town as soon as possible and get help for her," he stated.

Suma let out a few more ragged breathes before he nodded and took a Sprite Ocarina from his pocket. Barely managing to play the instrument, a warm light surrounded the three players and warped them back to the field. From there, they returned to Root Town…

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**I'm very proud of this chapter. I really like how it came out. R 'n' R Please. Thanks!**

**(X): Love is actually wrong. In the game, on that field, it's always raining. I just changed it to fit the story.**


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